5 hours
by Valeriasg1
Summary: She knew she was being unfair to him. ElizabethSimon, missing scene Rising pt.1


Title: 5 hours

Rating: Pg-13

Pairing: Elizabeth/Simon

Classification: slight angst, missing scene from Rising, pt.1

Word count: 1.170

Summary: She knew she was being unfair to him.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters featured in the story, TPTB does. Sedge belongs to Torri :P

AN: It started all because of an advanced English exam. Many thanks to Fay who beta read this for me! You rock:)

Elizabeth sat at her kitchen table, wrapped tightly in a plain blue afghan. An empty cup of tea sat before her, and she stared at the colorful pattern without really seeing it.

The house was silent at that late hour, except for the steady, dull sound of the leaking tap in the far corner of the room. It would be no use calling a plumber. She wouldn't be living in this house for much longer anyway.

Running a research base in Antarctica was challenging enough, but she had known what to expect when she accepted the position. Ice, blizzards, cramped spaces and endless paperwork.

The base felt better than the dull grey of the SGC, though, and there were windows. The sky, clear and uncontaminated, was easily the most striking one she had ever seen.

Communication with the rest of the world wasn't for trivial or personal purposes, but it was regular and mostly stable, and the base was only a few hours away from civilization by helicopter.

She still called him whenever she had the chance.

It might have sounded amazing, and rather uncomfortable to the ears of the unknowing, but what they were doing there was worth any minute she dedicated to her job.

And yet, all of it paled when compared to the potential of what they were trying to accomplish now.

Leading an expedition to a completely unexplored galaxy went well beyond her wildest childhood dreams, and the farthest from what she had believed a career in Diplomatic Relations would lead her to.

An international group of 300 people, Earth's brightest minds in their fields, and she was at the head.

The thought was intoxicating and entirely frightening at the same time.

A shiver ran up her spine and into her neck, and she hugged her knees tighter to her chest. She wasn't petite, but slim and flexible enough to be able to rest her heels on the edge of the seat. It was far from comfortable, but even if she thought it ridiculous, curling up like that made her feel slightly safer.

She was sure an anthropologist could give her a plausible explanation for this irrationality of hers, but it didn't figure high on her priority list anymore.

The telltale sound of shuffling feet caught her attention, and she lifted her head to see a large frame emerge from the corridor that led to the bedroom.

Sedge mimicked her actions, acknowledging the man's presence with a weak wag of her tail, but remained crouched at her mistress' side.

"What are you doing still up?" Simon asked, running a hand through his mussed black hair.

"I couldn't sleep. The tap, you know." She lied all too easily.

"I'll fix it tomorrow." His off-hand comment was all the evidence Elizabeth needed to know he wasn't buying it. His ability to discern between the woman and the negotiator had been what had drawn her to him at first, and a sign of special attention to her from his part.

It was a double-edged sword nonetheless, and very frustrating at times.

"Are you okay? You've been a little…off, lately. Since you've been back, actually."

"I'm fine, really. I guess I'm just a little stressed." She let an arm dangle limply at her side.

She hadn't found the courage to tell him the only reason she was back in Colorado Springs was to make the last arrangements with General O'Neill and pack up the few personal items they were allowed to take to the other side.

She knew she was being unfair to him, and she also knew she was too much of a coward to acknowledge it to herself or him. And her mediating tricks had never really worked on Simon.

Sedge tilted her muzzle upwards and licked what she could reach of Elizabeth's hand, tickling the palm with her damp snout. The end of her tail started thumping rhythmically on the floor in pleasure and restrained eagerness when Elizabeth scratched her behind the ears in return.

Free-spirited and loyal, Sedge loved her unconditionally and never held anything against her. Elizabeth wished she could take her on the mission. She would have been a breath of fresh air, and a much needed comfort. It may not play in her favor, but she found it relaxing to spend time with someone who didn't judge and weight her every gesture.

"You're working too hard. Stop pushing yourself and take a few days off, you deserve some rest." Simon bent over the back of the chair and closed his arms around her shoulders, rubbing gently through the heavy fabric of the afghan. Elizabeth craned her neck to accept the soft, soothing kiss he offered.

"Come on, let's go back to bed. You have a plane to take tomorrow." He kissed her again and stepped backwards. She took his outstretched hand and let herself be helped up, hugged and kissed yet again, more deeply this time.

He was doing it again, searching for reassurance through actions when she avoided words.

This is how it usually started these days. Elizabeth wondered when exactly insecurity had seeped into passion, turning the fire into a trembling lukewarm flame.

He wasn't making it any easier for her, either. The mounting guilt prevented her from responding properly to his affectionate gestures, but if he noticed, and she was fairly sure he had, he chose not to question her about it.

She clasped his hand tighter as they walked back to their bedroom, seeking for a comfort she couldn't find anymore in the man whose trust she was about to betray.

Elizabeth didn't take her decisions superficially, and she had analyzed every aspect of her current situation to the brink of insanity and maybe even beyond, as she'd always done in front of a life-changing crossroad.

And every time she pulled out of the maze of variables, the result was the same.

She wanted to be the one to take the expedition through the Stargate; explore, grieve, and rejoice with them.

The intention had probably been there since the beginning, it was just lurking under the surface of her subconscious. She was willing to take the responsibility and the risk.

Simon fingered the first button of her shirt, hesitating for a long moment before letting go with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. She licked her lips nervously and lowered her head, watching her own fingers as she nimbly undid the buttons. Silently granting him the permission he had refrained from asking.

Her gaze returned to his face, awkwardness and expectation clear in her wide green eyes. The man moved to push the shirt off her shoulders, walking her backwards towards the bed as he did so. Before she forced herself to focus solely on him, her mind drifted briefly to the tape.

The tape that was already sitting on the coffee table in the living room, waiting to be found once she'd left the house for the last time later that morning.

Less than five hours.


End file.
